From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtictic /tɪk/ noun [countable] MIa sudden movement of a muscle in your face, that you cannot control
Examples from the Corpus
tic• Tension prodded a tic under her eye.• He was soon talking more readily and his facial tics began subsiding.• The corresponding torque/position character-is tic is shown it, Fig. 6.4.• She peered in through his window with a smile and a nervous tic that made her appear to be pleading.• These tics, these traits, had become more pronounced since he had given up smoking.Origin tic (1800-1900) French 